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‘Fifth Little Girl’ of 1963 Klan bombing reunites with nurse
On Sept. 15, Birmingham commemorated the explosion that proved to be a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement
When an initially blinded, and nearly lifeless, 12-year-old girl found in the rubble of a church bombing was wheeled onto the 10th floor of University Hospital in Birmingham nearly 60 years ago, one of the first people to tend to the child was Rosetta “Rose” Hughes, a nurse.
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Tre. Charles brings his gospel, neo-soul sound to RVA East End Festival
Tre. Charles considers music as an emotional outlet — almost a cathartic release. His recently released debut single “Stressin” evokes the isolation many have felt during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the album he is working on has male vulnerability, especially Black male vulnerability, as one of its themes.
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Long-serving CARITAS CEO announces her retirement
Karen Stanley’s leadership has formed hundreds of partnerships that serve thousands
The leader of CARITAS, the Richmond area’s largest provider of homeless and addiction recovery services, is stepping down. Karen Stanley, president and CEO, has notified her board she would retire Dec. 31 after 22 years.
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VSU prez Tau Beta Pi winner
Virginia State University President Makola M. Abdullah has been recognized for his work and commitment to his alma mater’s ideals with Tau Beta Pi’s 25th Annual Distinguished Alumnus Award.
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The global evils of predatory capitalism, by Julianne Malveaux
The world continues to mourn the demise of the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II, the long-serving monarch who died Sept. 8. I am sorry that her family endured her loss, as have many of our families.
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RPS data suggests student improvement despite SOL scores
Richmond Public Schools student Standard of Learning (SOL) scores are among the lowest in the state of Virginia this year.
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Personality: James B. ‘Saxsmo’ Gates Jr.
Spotlight on the co-chair of the RVA East End Festival
“Together we can make it!” For James B. “Saxsmo” Gates Jr., this phrase, which originated with one of his songs, is a distillation of the universality and practicality he believes is key to jazz music and the genre’s communities. An accomplished musician and director of jazz studies for Virginia State University, he is putting his skills and philosophy to work as co-chair of the RVA East End Festival.
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How Richmond Ballet’s Garret McNally found his footing
Garret McNally has been dancing since age 3 when his mother put him into dance as an outlet for his energy.
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Bernard Shaw, CNN’s 1st chief anchor, dies at 82
Bernard Shaw, former CNN anchor and a pioneering Black journalist remembered for his blunt question at a presidential debate and calmly reporting the beginning of the Gulf War in 1991 from Baghdad as it was under attack, has died. He was 82.
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Redistricting is voter suppression too, by Ben Jealous
When Charles Diggs, Jr. won election to Congress in Michigan’s 13th District in 1954, he launched nearly seven decades in which the city of Detroit had at least one Black member of Congress.
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‘Quiet quitting’ is not just for ‘silly season’, by Clarence Page
Just as I was wondering whether various crises were coming too fast to allow our usual “silly season” of oddball late summer news, an appropriately weird-sounding social trend popped up on social networks and intriguingly struck a nerve. It’s called “quiet quitting.”
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Boxing legend Earnie Shavers dies at 78
Earnie Shavers, among the hardest punch- ers in heavyweight boxing history, died Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, at the home of one of his daughters in Virginia. He was 78. Known as the “Black Destroyer,” Mr. Shavers posted a career record of 74-14-1 between 1969 and 1995. His worksheet included 68 knockouts with 23 coming in the first round. The Alabama native won 44 of his first 47 bouts via knockout. Twice he fought for the world title, los- ing to Muhammad Ali in 1977 and Larry Holmes in 1979. Mr. Shavers left an indelible impression on Ali. “Earnie hit me so hard, it shocked my kinfolk back in Africa,” Ali said. Along the way, Mr. Shavers scored ring victories over three former world champs, Jimmy Ellis, Ken Norton and Vincente Rondon. Mr. Shavers’ immense power came up in the 1980s when late-night TV host David Letterman interviewed boxing champ George Foreman. Letterman asked Foreman about Mr. Shavers. Foreman replied: “I never fought Earnie Shavers. Thank goodness.”
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Renowned jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis dies at 87
Renowned jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, whose music entertained fans over a more than 60-year career that began with the Ramsey Lewis Trio and made him one of the country’s most successful jazz musicians, has died. He was 87.
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Students return to campus amid water crisis in Mississippi
While its water crisis continued, students in Mississippi’s capital returned to class for the first time in a week Tuesday with assurances that the toilets and sinks in their buildings would finally work.
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Personality: Barbara S. Brown
Spotlight on Coming Together Virginia’s board chairwoman
Coming to the Table was founded in 2006 when a small group of descendants of slaves and slave holders met at a table in Harrisonburg with a goal of “Taking America Beyond the Legacy of Enslavement.”
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Renowned Virginia Tech professor and poet retires
Internationally known poet Nikki Giovanni retired Sept. 1 as an English professor at Virginia Tech University, bringing an end to a celebrated career at the university that spanned more than 30 years and earned her accolades inside and outside the university.
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Student loan forgiveness is a drop in the bucket, by Julianne Malveaux
President Biden made a campaign promise to alleviate some student loan debt, and on Aug. 24, he honored his commitment.
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How long will we accept excuses from the top?
I see that SOL scores remain low for Richmond Public Schools. I see that there were various excuses why the SOL scores were low. Illness, isolation, and trauma were faulted for these dismal test results.
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Steph Curry aims to inspire with ‘I Have a Superpower’ book
On nearly every basketball court around the world —from NBA arenas to elementary school gyms — you’ll see players of all sizes regularly attempting long 3-point shots. There’s one man largely credited with transforming basketball from a must-see above the rim game to box office-long range shooting: Stephen Curry.
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Personality: Maureen Jules-Perez
Spotlight on Girls For A Change board president
Girls For A Change, a nonprofit youth development organization, empowers Black girls ages 9 to 18 in Central Virginia with experiences and resources that help shape their future. Maureen Jules-Perez became board president of the 20-year-old organization in the spring of 2021.
